Hijama Cupping Therapy in USA Part 2

The following is a follow-up article by Hijama Nation, on their earlier post of 12 May, 2011:Hijama Cupping Therapy in USA and in response to the following comment made on 21 August, 2011 that required further clarification:

Hijama Cupping Therapy in USA Part 2 – by Hijama Nation

This article is a response to the comment made on another article on www.ahealth.co.uk . The comment was made anonymously. Unfortunately, it seems that Mr/Ms Anonymous may have misunderstood our aims and objectives. So we would like to clear those up in response. We hope to alleviate any concerns that readers may have.

Firstly, cupping therapy is not banned in the United States. Most states allow dry and massage cupping as a modality if you are a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT). In most States, wet cupping is allowed if you are a licensed MD, Physicians Assistant (PA) or Licensed Acupuncturist as it is minor surgery. Indeed, Bloodletting is not allowed generally-but we must remember that Hijama wet cupping is NOT bloodletting. Bloodletting is drawing blood from veins. There is a huge difference between scratching the superficial skin and drawing blood from veins.

Furthermore, we are not trying to “force” Hijama on the USA or Canada at all. In fact, we are trying to build a positive image of Hijama being a safe, effective and holistic alternative to Western medicine. The main aim is to essentially teach our own Muslims about it first, before we can even educate non-Muslims about it. The tragedy is that most of our Ummah does not know of this divine therapy and we are all too scared to practice it because we are worried about looking bad.

Hijama Nation’s core philosophy is that a Hijama Therapist should be adequately trained and certified and does not have to be a Licensed MD. If Hijama Practitioner is a Medical Doctor, that is a plus. We hope there are more Medical Doctors involved in this practice, but the reality is, we don’t have enough doctors who know about Hijama or are interested in practicing Hijama. The next best thing is to have trained Hijama practitioners, who can provide this sunnah treatment to the Ummah at large.

As with everything in Islam, there must be balance and moderation. A professional Hijama Therapist MUST have relevant training and certification. We believe that it is imperative for all Hijama Students to have a high level of theoretical and practical training, health and safety qualifications and sufficient knowledge of Physiology and Anatomy to practice upon the general public. Thus, even if someone does not have a medical background, they will become a certified professional in the field of alternative therapy.

We also maintain that it is our religious right to perform Hijama. In the USA, we are campaigning to be exempt from medical licensure on religious grounds. The reason is, that the Hijama practitioners with no medical license are producing great results without any side effects for the patient. Because of that reason we don’t feel that a Hijama practitioner has to go through 6-8 years of school to get license to practice. A professional Hijama Therapist MUST have sufficient training. We believe that it is important for all Hijama Practitioners to have a high level of theoretical and practical training, health and safety training and sufficient knowledge of Physiology and Anatomy before they can practice upon the general public.

In fact, we are shocked at how many work undercover; there is whole a network of Hijama practitioners. Surely, these practitioners should be able to get licensed and get regulated and work officially, rather than working in fear and doing something illegally. Isn’t this what we want to avoid? By sitting back and doing nothing, we will be actively encouraging people to work under the table, and risk injuring someone; therefore, increasing liability and chances of prohibition. Shouldn’t we be working towards getting Hijama recognized and regulated?

Even though Hijama Nation cannot practice Hijama currently in U.S, we can still educate people about it. Further, the Department of Health has been very co-operative and given us permission to teach Licensed MD’s, APRN (Advance Practitioner Nurse), PA (Physician’s Assistant) and LAs (License Acupuncturist). Alhumdulillah, we have already trained some medical professionals in CT and NY. And we are looking forward to training more medical professionals in Hijama, who can legally provide this sunnah treatment to the Ummah. To learn more about our courses; please click on the link:

We would like more Muslim medical professionals to come forward and train in Hijama, that way it is not illegal and all Muslims have access to it locally within the USA and Canada. It is imperative that US Muslims with Hijama knowledge and medical background are proactive and constructive, so we can meet the need for people who want to benefit from this treatment. We invite and welcome any support from fellow Hijama Therapists in the USA & Canada.

There is a massive demand for Hijama among muslims and non-muslims alike. Unfortunately, Hijama Nation cannot treat them. But at least they have been made aware of the fact that there is a divinely revealed therapy through our efforts. It is becoming very popular.

We tried to answer the concerns of Br/Sis Anonymous, but if there are still any concerns or questions, please contact us at info@HijamaNation.com . Don’t forget to visit our site to get the free eBook about the benefits of Hijama at http://HijamaTraining.com. Thank you and Jazakallah Khairan.